By Larry Fine
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Reuters) – Chris Stroud, the last man to qualify for the PGA Championship, completed a three-under-par 68 on Saturday morning to join 2015 winner Jason Day in a tie for third before setting off for the third round at Quail Hollow.
Stroud had five holes to finish after play was suspended on Friday due to failing light following an afternoon interruption of one hour 43 minutes because of lightning in the area.
The 35-year-old Texan, who qualified by winning last week’s Barracuda Championship in Reno, Nevada for his first PGA Tour win in his 290th event, birdied the par-five seventh hole and parred out for a six-under-par 136 total.
Stroud and Australia’s Day were two strokes behind co-leaders Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, who won last week’s WGC-Bridgestone, and South Carolinian Kevin Kisner.
World number two Matsuyama is aiming to become the first Japanese male to win a major championship.
Matsuyama, Kisner and Day will tee off together at 2 PM ET (1800 GMT).
Stroud will be grouped with Italy’s Francesco Molinari, who fired a 64 in the second round, and South African Louis Oosthuizen who were another shot back at five-under.
Seventy-five players made the cut, which was set at five over par.
Among prominent players to miss the cut were former U.S. Open champion Justin Rose of England at six-over, double Masters champion Bubba Watson at seven-over and 2016 winner Jimmy Walker at eight-over.
(Reporting by Larry Fine; Editing by Toby Davis)
